When it became apparent that Jimbo Fisher was, at the very least, entertaining the idea of heading to Texas A&M, the administrators at Florida State knew they needed a list of viable candidates to replace him.

Just to be safe in case he did indeed bolt for the land of oil and no trophies.

The first person on FSU’s list was Willie Taggart.

And because Florida State is Florida State, they never needed to see about No. 2.

That, to me, is one of the biggest takeaways of the hiring process. Unlike other schools around the country (see Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, etc.), Florida State didn’t have to keep going down a list until it found someone who would say yes.

Athletic Director Stan Wilcox and President John Thrasher honed in on Taggart immediately, and one day after Fisher was officially introduced at Texas A&M, the Seminoles had themselves a new coach.

That’s the appeal and prestige of Florida State. Don’t be fooled by what happened the last few weeks. This is still one of the truly elite programs in the country, one that went all the way across the country and plucked one of the rising stars of the profession, who had been at Oregon for only one year (more on that later).

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2017, file photo, Oregon head coach Willie Taggart congratulates Oregon quarterback Braxton Burmeister after an Oregon score against Utah in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Eugene, Ore. Oregon and Oregon State head into the 121st Civil War game in Eugene, on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, looking very different than last season. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch, file) The Associated Press

Oregon's new head football coach Willie Taggart, center right, joins the student section at Matthew Knight Arena for part of the first half of the Alabama vs. Oregon men's NCAA college basketball game. Chris Pietsch, AP Photo

See, despite not having a football-only facility (yet) and despite not having oil money, Florida State is still an incredibly attractive job.

Bobby Bowden made it that way.

Fisher helped re-establish it.

And Taggart’s hire proved it.

Oregon is a good program. With plenty of recent success. It’s played in two national championship games this decade. And yet, FSU – coming off a 6-6 regular season - went in there and nabbed a guy who had been there for less than 365 days.

If that doesn’t illustrate where Florida State truly stands in the realm of college football, not much else will.

On that note, though, I can understand why Oregon fans would be upset by this. You can, too. For a year Taggart has been recruiting for that school and preaching, I’m sure, about family. And then he bolts three weeks before Christmas. I’m sure that hurts.

Some Oregon fans no doubt feel betrayed by what they were told over the last 12 months.

Just like Fisher’s decision left an acid-bitter taste with most FSU fans.

That’s just the ugly reality of college football.

Though, I think we can all agree on this one distinction: Leaving Oregon for Florida State is a step up. Leaving Florida State for Texas A&M is a step down. Not even a step, more like a stumble, slip and tumble down one of those really expensive spiral staircases.

Taggart’s decision makes perfect sense for him. Financially and professionally. He’s already considered a great recruiter. Right now as I write this, Oregon has the No. 5 class in the country – with four of its commitments from the state of Florida. Expect that ranking to fall down a staircase as well in the coming days as those prospects decide to look elsewhere – maybe even Tallahassee.

That’s another ugly aspect of this carousel, as coaches who have been recruiting players for years suddenly bolt for another job just a few weeks before National Signing Day.

But, again, that’s the reality.

Fisher started this game of dominoes. So Florida State had to play as well. Now Oregon will go poach someone else’s coach and on and on it goes.

We know why Taggart would come to Florida State. He’s got extensive Florida ties and he gets to coach at one of the best programs in the country, one that expects to compete – and win – national championships.

First and foremost, his reputation as a recruiter is exceptional. And that is, by far, the most important quality a high-level college football coach can have.

Keep in mind: Oregon never has high recruiting classes. Ever.

In the five years before Taggart arrived, the Ducks had the 16th, 22nd, 26th, 17th and 25th ranked recruiting classes according to Rivals.com.

After just 12 months in Oregon, Taggart had put together a class that was ranked No. 5.

So, yeah, the guy can really, really recruit.

And as Fisher proved, a great recruiter at a place like Florida State should mean lots of wins and trophies.

And while we’re on the subject of wins, you might have noticed Taggart doesn’t have a ton of them.

His team this year is just 7-5.

And his overall career coaching record is 47-50.

I know that might scare some of you. I get that.

But we must understand context.

His first job was as head coach at his alma mater, Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers were 1-26 in their previous 27 games against FBS opponents when he took over. In his first season they went 2-10 but managed to snap the school’s 26-game losing streak.

His next two years, they went 7-5 and earned the school’s first-ever bowl berth.

Taggart then moved on to South Florida, which had gone 3-9 the year before he arrived. His first season in Tampa was ugly as the Bulls finished just 2-10. The next one wasn’t much better as they went 4-8. But by Year 3 he was back to winning, leading South Florida to an 8-5 record and bowl berth. Then his final season they went 10-2.

This year, Charlie Strong has gone 9-2 at South Florida with the guys Taggart recruited.

And at Oregon, he went 7-5 in his only year. But took over for a team that went 4-8 in 2016 and he was without his starting quarterback (who is awesome by the way) for half the season.

And since Florida State is already pretty darn good to begin with, it sure seems like the Seminoles could be competing for national championships again someday soon with this hire. Just like they did with the last two.